Vehicles are typically manufactured using a predetermined platform or underbody. Vehicle's having different designs or structures are often manufactured on the same platform or underbody. For example and without limitation, one vehicle design or version is commonly referred to as a sedan type vehicle, and is manufactured and/or formed with a solid and/or rigid roof that typically remains attached and/or connected to the body of the vehicle. A second platform design or version is commonly referred to as the convertible type vehicle, and is manufactured and/or formed with a relatively pliable and selectively removable roof.
The rigid roofs of sedan type vehicles tend to perform a "bridging" function which provides added support to the portion of the vehicle body which is disposed between the front and rear wheel wells (e.g., the "center portion" of the vehicle). Convertible type vehicles do not benefit from the aforementioned "bridging" function, as their selectively removable roofs are typically soft and/or flexible and do not provide the structural support afforded by the rigid roofs of sedan type vehicles. Without additional support, the bodies of convertible type vehicles are excessively compliant and tend to undesirably "twist" and/or bend when the vehicle is being driven, thereby adversely effecting the quality of the vehicle's "ride" which is experienced by the occupants of the vehicle.
Consequently, added support members and devices have been integrated into convertible type vehicles to increase the torsional stiffness and rigidity of convertible vehicles. The additional support members and/or devices are designed to absorb and/or divert torsional and/or bending forces and/or loads away from the center portion of the vehicle and to translate and/or transfer the forces and/or loads to other portions of the vehicle, such as portions which are in relative close proximity to the wheels of the vehicle. In this manner, these torsional and/or bending forces and/or loads are absorbed by portions of the vehicle frame that have a greater load bearing capacity (e.g., portions in close proximity to the vehicle's wheels).
These prior support members, systems, devices and methods used within convertible vehicles suffer from some drawbacks. For example and without limitation, when both a convertible type and a sedan type vehicle are to be manufactured on or from the same platform or underbody, these added support members or systems undesirably lengthen and complicate the manufacturing process. Particularly, the supports often cause the convertible assembly process to substantially differ from the sedan assembly process since these supports require substantial modifications to be made to the platform or underbody in order for the supports to be operatively used and/or deployed upon and/or within the convertible type vehicle, thereby complicating the overall vehicle assembly procedure and eliminating the benefits of using the same platform for a sedan and a convertible type vehicle. Moreover, the sedans and convertibles cannot be readily, practically, and interchangeably assembled, thereby further increasing the overall manufacturing cost and time.
Therefore, a need exists for a system and/or assembly which offers added support to convertible type vehicles and which does not require substantial modifications to be made to the platform and/or underbody of the vehicle.